Beliefs
by baker's huntress
Summary: Coulson's capture has brought about an anger in Fitz that Simmons has never seen before. And it's worrying her.


Title: Beliefs

Summary: Coulson's capture has brought about an anger in Fitz that Simmons has never seen before. And it's worrying her.

Disclaimer: Anything pertaining to _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D _do not belong to me.

* * *

Fitz wasn't at all surprised when Simmons' form appeared around the corner of the S.H.I.E.L.D. hangar that currently housed the BUS. He didn't even bother looking her way.

"I knew I'd find you here," she said unnecessarily. Every time his frustrations got the better of him, he'd slip out of the crowded plane and make his way to the back of the hangar where it was quiet and deserted. Simmons knew this since Fitz told her about his hiding place when she panicked at not being able to find him the first time he'd run off. It only took her a minute or two to notice his absence from their lab, but she always allowed him at least ten minutes of solitude before she went out and followed him. He was seated atop one of the wooden crates this time, and she made her way to sit next to her partner.

Simmons didn't bother asking if he was all right. She knew he wasn't. None of them were. And they won't ever be again until they found Coulson and got him back safely. Also, she knew how frustrated he felt at having all those extra agents invading what he (all of them really) perceived as their home. After a few minutes of silence, Simmons decided to state what was on her mind.

"I'm worried about you, Fitz," she practically whispered. He scoffed.

"You shouldn't be."

"But I am. We designed the DWARFs to gather and analyze data quickly and efficiently. Now we're using them offensively. Granted, it worked, and we caught Vanchat. But they were never meant for that purpose. Then yesterday, you were particularly mean to Agent Cobb—

"He was asking stupid questions," he interrupted, scowling in annoyance while still facing straight ahead. "You'd think he was in a lab at the Academy. I didn't have time to explain what I needed the injector for, not like he'd have understood anyway—

"There! You're doing it again—being mean. And frankly, you're acting quite arrogant as well." The scowl on her face mirrored his for a second before dissolving back into worry. "This isn't like you, Fitz. You've never acted this way before. And what you said earlier, about not caring if the excessive amounts of dendrotoxin would kill those Centipede soldiers—

"They took Coulson!" he yelled, finally facing her direction.

"But they were being _forced_ to!" She took a deep breathe to calm herself down before continuing. "What's going on Fitz? This…_anger_. You've never been like this before." He looked away again and remained silent. "Talk to me, Leo," she pleaded. Fitz gave an exasperated sigh and rested his head back against the building wall. Simmons waited patiently.

"It's just," he began after a long minute. "You know how unsociable I really am. For God's sake, you're my best friend now, but it took four _months_ of us being lab partners in academy before I even considered you more than just a passing acquaintance. And two more months for us to meet up socially outside the classroom, and not just because we had a lab report to finished for class." At this, he looked down to his right to give Simmons a genuine smile. "And our team, it's become my _family_."

She smiles back at him at that, knowing what he meant. The nostalgia brought about by being apart from their homes and families in England and Scotland, respectively, had been made a lot more bearable as they've become closer to one other and then, more so, when they became closer to the rest of their team.

"And now, our family is broken." His smile was gone, and sadness shone through his eyes. "Skye's off alone somewhere without any back up. Agent Hand has taken over our home and filled it with incompetent fools. And Coulson…." He broke off, shutting his eyes as if in pain.

"Do you remember the mission Ward and I had in Ossetia?" he asked. The sudden change in subject confused Simmons, but she knew that if she was patient enough, Fitz would eventually get to his point. She nodded up at him.

"Considering that we could have lost you both during that mission, I don't think I'd ever forget," she answered solemnly. Fitz bumped his shoulder to hers and gave her a reassuring smile to remind her that they got to him and Ward on time and that they were all right.

"I knew everyone thought I'd mess up on that mission," he admitted. Simmons opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "Don't deny it. And it's all right, really, because I doubted myself, too. I didn't necessary think I'd _fail_, but I was so sure I'd mess up _something_. And I believed everyone thought that sending me on that mission was a mistake. But I was wrong. Coulson didn't think I'd mess up. He didn't think sending me was a mistake.

"Before Ward and I left, he took me aside. I was so sure he'd tell me not to mess up. I was waiting for him to bring up my failed field assessments, and to tell me he didn't have a choice but to send me because Agent Hand had needed an engineer and I was the only one available. Imagine my surprise when he instead told me to take care of Ward. I mean, he's Agent Grant Ward. He's a one-man special ops team with the height and muscles and combat skills to beat up any bad guy we'd ever come across. What could little ol' me do to save his behind if he gets into trouble?

"I told Coulson that, too. And you know what he said?" He asked rhetorically. "He reminded me that I am every bit the agent that Ward is. He told be that he is confident in my skills, and that he believes that I will do well. His words—they gave me the courage to leave on that mission. They gave me confidence in myself. _He_ gave me confidence in myself. I've never had that..._reassurance_ since…since my dad was alive. When my cousins, brothers, and I would play rugby; and they didn't want to play with me because I was so young and little compared to them. But they had to or my mom and my aunts would get mad if they don't let me play with them. But Dad believed in me. Told be to run as fast as I could whenever I got the ball. So I did. I outran all of them and scored.

"Coulson had reminded me of my dad. He believes in me. He believes in _us_, in this team. But it's been forty-eight hours since he's been taken, and we haven't even found a _bloody clue_ on where he could be held!" he exclaimed in frustration, tears leaking at the corners of his eyes.

"Calm down, Fitz," she said soothingly, placing her arms around his neck and pulling his head to rest on her shoulder. He didn't fight her, opting to hold her around her waist and burying his face in the crook of her neck instead. "We'll get him back. I'm sure Skye is doing some bad-girl shenanigans to try and find him, and she'll contact us as soon as she has something. In the mean time, you and I have to find a way to incapacitate, not kill, those Centipede soldiers to give Ward and May a fighting chance against them. That's what we have to focus on until we get Skye's call." Though he didn't say anything, she felt him nod against her neck.

"And to correct you, I did _not_ think you'd mess up on that Ossetia mission. I was worried for you, yes—worried about the _possibility_ of you getting captured or injured. And I hated not knowing what was happening to you. But I _knew_ you'd do well. I believed in you, Leo. I have always believed in you."

Again, he didn't say anything. But he pulled her closer and held her tighter.

**End**


End file.
